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Author: Corbec8

Microsoft has always been seen as slightly behind its big rival Apple when it comes to features in its operating system. Apple has cornered the market in sleek and functional for many years. That could all be about to change with the new Windows 10 operating system, which is about to be released.

The biggest thing you will find when you open the virtual box here is the new browser, Edge. Here you can do all sorts of snazzy stuff and the company has really surpassed itself with some of the features contained in Edge. For example, you can easily ‘fingerpaint’ with Edge, being able to use digital highlighters and pens to effectively edit a screen. The best thing about it though is the fact that sharing your changes is very easy. The editing can be applied directly to a web page, making it one of the most useful features on any browser for a number of years.

The company has also bitten the bullet (and stolen a lead over Apple) by introducing the ‘Snap’ feature. this includes the ability to look at two windows side by side, in an interlocking way. It looks absolutely fantastic on the screen, and is a key indication that Windows is trying to distance itself considerably from iOS. The end result is lovely to look at, but more importantly, it ensures that users can multitask easily. It is a real key feature and it is certain to make a number of Windows fans happier after the fail that was Windows 8.1.

Cortana is better

Cortana, the new digital assistant that is meant to rival SIRI for Apple, has been smartened up too. The aim has always been to make Cortana as smart and intelligent as possible, and as much like a real personal assistant as possible. And with Windows 10 things seem to have progressed towards this goal. Cortana can now use a notebook, that coincidentally looks just like the notebook a real assistant may have, and bring up suggestions that the virtual assistant has surmised meet the preferences and requirements of the user. So it may suggest movies, news items, or any other stuff that the user may like. That’s right, with Windows 10 you finally get your own personal secretary.

The good old-fashioned Start menu has returned, but this time it has a ton of new features that make it even more attractive and useful than it has ever been before. For a start, app tiles (live ones at that) are displayed for you, and you even get an even more colourful experience. In addition, you can also choose to have the Start menu as full-screen, or not. It’s the flexibility we like, and it works a treat.

Finally, one of our own personal favourite changes is the Action Centre. This incredibly useful item archives all notifications so you can always check in on them when you have time. It makes for a much more fluid and controlled experience with notifications, and it also offers hot buttons for certain actions that you do a lot with your computer.

These are just a few of the many amazing changes Microsoft’s introduced. They are all useful, and all of them are definite step forward for Windows users.

Playstation 4 owners have been a bit short of innovation for the last few months so the announcement of a new keyboard and mouse set up being released has caused understandable shock waves. It is designed, apparently, to allow PS4 owners to play first person shooters (FPS) just like PC gamers do. For many years it has been argued that PC gamers get a more fulfilling experience using their keyboard and mouse, especially on a FPS game. Now, this particular console has players who can, potentially, replicate that experience.

It’s called the Tactical Assault Commander and it has been especially aimed at PS4 machines. However, the keyboard and mouse combination can also be used with PS3 machines. The PS3 is still very much alive and well, and there are legions of players on that platform, so it kind of makes sense to allow for backwards functionality in this respect.

It has arrow keys for starters. These will work very well with menus, obviously, but should also see some functionality in FPS games. We would be absolutely amazed if they were not used to choose weapons, for example. But one of the most intriguing keys on the keyboard concerns a major aspect of FPS games.

The ‘Snipe’ key allows you to do just that. Tied in with the sniping or zoom function on a game, it will allow players to quickly focus on an enemy and target them more effectively.

The unit also has a PlayStation button and a D pad so that players can avoid feeling that they have entirely lost their PlayStation experience. This is an nice touch and we feel it adds plenty of fun to the final product.

Higher Accuracy

Most people agreed that it is an excellent invention and should allow FPS players to gain more efficiency in their play. It has always been more challenging using a controller to play games like Battlefield or Call of Duty, and this new direction should ensure that players can target better, and feel more comfortable as their character is running around trying to shoot everyone on a map.

Some concerns have come up though, most notably a worry that it will simply allow some players on the PS4 platform to be better and more efficient than others, especially novice players. This has always been the case anyway, as ‘noobs’ are routinely blown to pieces by a player who is a little more experienced. But having the keyboard, and the enhanced player control this brings, may mean that there will be an unfair advantage.
If this is the case we won’t know until it is field tested. Watch this space, we anticipate plenty of comments and opinions being thrown up online as this piece of technology is embraced by the millions of FPS players on the planet.

Bethesda is a games developer that has a history of creating a buzz around their titles, but this time the company has excelled itself. Ahead of the release of Fallout 4 (November 2015), the software developer has announced some shocking news around a piece of pre-release hype.